Method and system for preparing soft tissue for grafting, enhancing grafting results, and grafting autologous fat to soft tissue such as the breast

ABSTRACT

A method is disclosed for preparing a soft tissue site, and augmenting the soft tissue site, such as the breast(s) of a subject through use of devices that exert a distractive force on the breast(s) and grafting of autologous fat tissue such as domes with sealing rims for surrounding each of the breasts and a regulated pump. The method for preparing the soft tissue site, and enhancing fat graft results, entails application of the distracting force to the targeted soft tissue site for several weeks prior to the graft procedure. A related aspect of the invention includes following the preparation steps by transfer of fat from other areas of the subject to the subject&#39;s breast(s), and then reapplication of the distractive force to the breast(s) that received the autologous fat graft. Alternatively, fat from genetically related sources may be used, and the fat may be further processed prior to injection. Substantial breast augmentation, high rates of graft survival and negligible graft necrosis (data demonstrating 80% survival and only 20% necrosis is presented) or calcification result from the practice of these methods.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to methods of preparing soft tissue, such as breasts, for augmentation and, relatedly, to methods of enhancing fat grafting results, and augmenting soft tissue by autologous fat grafting.

2. Related Art

There are numerous instances where persons desire augmentation of soft tissue such as their breasts. Other examples of soft tissue augmentation opportunities include the face, the buttocks, depressed scar contours, or any body deformity or area that is desirably augmented. Another such instance is for the augmentation or the restoration of one or both breasts subjected to a partial or total mastectomy, a biopsy, or other disfiguring events in order to restore physiological symmetry and psychological well-being. Yet other instances are for correction of natural abnormalities such as dimpling. Still other instances are for augmentation of the breasts to improve cosmetics and self-esteem.

Prosthetic implants have been developed for insertion below the skin. However, the severity of the potential complications including scarring, implant rupture, capsular contracture, necrosis and implant migration as well as the recent adverse publicity thereof have significantly reduced the desirability of these implants. While scientific evidence is not conclusive, there is some indication that breast implants might contribute to secondary diseases. Thus, there is a societal need for other means to obtain breast augmentation.

Breast augmentation by use of fat grafts was experimentally explored in the past but has not gained widespread acceptance. First, the larger blocks of grafts used then displayed poor survival. Secondly, the failed grafts sometimes produce stellate and irregular nodules with calcifications. These nodules which were often palpable were occasionally indistinguishable from cancer with the breast imaging technology available at that time. For these reasons certain medical societies and associations advocated a ban on fat grafting to the breast. Consequently, the practice of fat grafting to the breast was contraindicated and not pursued.

Subsequently, digital mammography, high-resolution ultrasound, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and its associated dynamic absorption curve and fat suppression views have revolutionized breast imaging. As a result, radiologists now have the imaging technology that enables them to differentiate with reasonable certainty a neoplastic process from the fat necrosis commonly left behind following reduction mammoplasties, the now accepted SAL (Suction Assisted Lipectomy) reduction methods, and simple breast biopsies. It is consequently evident that concerns associated with distinguishing areas of fat necrosis resulting from fat grafting to the breast from areas of neoplasia have now been essentially obviated by advances in imaging technology. With these advances, fat grafting may now again be considered for this application.

Described herein is a new method of preparing soft tissue for augmentation, including preferably the breasts, for enhancing fat grafting results in soft tissue, and augmenting soft tissue by use of autologous fat grafts. This method does not suffer from the defects of the previously attempted methods of fat grafting to the breast in that it results in high rates of graft survival and marked reductions of graft necrosis and calcification. This method is distinguished from previously disclosed methods by, inter alia, the use of devices that exert a distractive force on the breast for preparing the soft tissue site, enhancing the results, and in conjunction with improved techniques of autologous fat harvesting, processing and grafting.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a method of augmenting soft tissue of the type mentioned herein, including preferably at least one breast of a subject, comprising the steps of applying a distractive force to at least one breast of a subject, removing a sample of fat from another body area of the subject, injecting at least a portion of said sample of fat taken from the subject into said breast that was subjected to a distractive force and then possibly applying a distractive force to the breast injected with the subject's fat. At the time of filing, the inventor has not determined the necessity or desirability of applying post operative distractive force to increase the success of the graft. Use of this method results in substantial augmentation of the subject's breast or breasts while also serving to remove fat from undesirable locations of the body such as the abdomen, thighs, flanks, buttocks (gluteal regions), and trochanters. Use of an autologous graft also reduces the likelihood of graft rejection. The subject may be a human or more particularly a female human.

The invention further relates to preparing a soft tissue site, including preferably the breasts, for augmentation by grafting through pre-grafting expansion of the soft tissue site.

In practicing the method of this invention, a distractive force is applied to the breast both before and possibly after grafting of fat to the breast. The distractive force may be applied via any number of different methods or devices. A preferred method for applying a distractive force comprises the application of vacuum pressure to the breast of said subject by use of a device comprising a dome which fits over the fat-receiving breast(s) of the subject, a rim that seals said dome(s) around said breast(s), and a pump for creating a vacuum within the dome(s) around said breast. An external breast tissue expander (the Brava® Breast Enhancement and Shaping System, Brava, LLC; Coconut Grove, Fla.) represents one commercially available and preferred device for applying vacuum pressure to the breast of the subject. Vacuum pressure may be applied to the breast or breasts by a hand pump that may be detachable or by a self-contained vacuum pump system that is connected to the device. This self contained vacuum pump system may comprises an independent power source, a pressure sensor, and a servomechanism to maintain a constant vacuum pressure inside said dome. Under certain circumstances, equivalent vacuum pressure is applied to both breasts in the practice of the invention. However, other circumstances may dictate that different vacuum pressures are applied to each breast, or to only the fat-receiving breast.

The fat sample used in the breast graft is typically removed from at least one of an abdominal region, a thigh region, a flank region, a gluteal region, or a trochanter of said subject. However, the sample of fat may be taken from any suitable region of the subject. Removal of fat is effected by methods that minimize trauma and minimize manipulation of the fat removed from the subject. One suitable method of obtaining the sample of fat is by aspirating the fat from the subject with a syringe. This syringe may be a 10 or 20 ml syringe fitted with a 12 or 14 gauge cannula (i.e. approximately 2-3 mm in diameter). The harvested fat is then separated from any fluid such as serum or tumescent fluid that is associated with the fat. These fat removal and separation methods are well known in the medical art.

The fat sample is then injected into the breast that was previously subjected to a distractive force such as by vacuum pressure. Injection into the breast may be accomplished with a syringe. The syringe may be a 10 or 20 ml syringe fitted with a 12 or 14 gauge cannula (i.e. approximately 2-3 mm in diameter). The injection may be into either one or both of a deep retroglandular space and/or a subcutaneous plane of the breast. The injections are preferably made in a three dimensional fanning pattern to micro-weave the sample of fat in the breast. However, these injections are preferably not made into the breast parenchymal region or a breast glandular region. The preferred method of injecting the fat sample is to distribute microdroplets of the fat sample throughout the deep retroglandular space and/or the subcutaneous plane of the breast while avoiding the breast parenchyma or breast gland region.

Following injection, a splint like device or bandage is preferably applied to the breast to immobilize the injected fat and facilitate the engraftment process. Alternatively, a distractive force such as vacuum pressure is again applied to the breast. The distractive force such as vacuum pressure may be first applied to the injected breast preferably about 12 to 18 hours after injection of the breast. For the two day period following injection of fat into the breast the vacuum may preferably be intermittently applied to the breast for at least about 6 to 22 hours per day (i.e. 24 hour period) or for as long as possible. After this 2 day (i.e. 48 hour) period, the distractive force such as vacuum pressure may preferably be intermittently applied to the injected breast for at least about 10 hours per day during the entire post injection time period of about 2 to 7 days.

This method may be applied when the subject is a human or, more particularly, a female human. It is further recognized that the entire procedure comprising the steps of applying a distractive force to at least one breast of a subject, removing a sample of fat from the subject with a syringe; injecting at least a portion of said sample of fat taken from the subject into said breast that was subjected to a vacuum with a syringe, and then applying a distractive force to the breast injected with the subject's fat can be repeated on one or more breasts of a subject. Repeating the procedure may be desirable as compared to a single procedure in instances where greater degrees of breast augmentation are sought.

Finally, alternative methods of obtaining fat samples suitable for injection into the subject are further disclosed. Such methods may be important in obtaining some substantial breast augmentation when the subject has limited amounts of fat available for harvesting and injection. In one embodiment, the fat sample may be obtained by removing fat from the subject; propagating this removed fat outside of the subject, and collecting the fat sample that was expanded through propagation. In another embodiment, a sample of fat may be obtained by removing a living cell or living cells from the subject, propagating the cell or cells outside of the subject under conditions where the cell or cells will form a sample of fat; and collecting the sample of fat thus formed. Also disclosed are methods of obtaining the sample of fat from sources other than the subject. In one embodiment of the invention, the source of the sample of fat may be obtained from another human, a human that is genetically related to the subject, or a human that is a twin of the subject. Alternatively, the sample of fat may be obtained from a source that is a stem cell or cells derived from a source other than the subject.

The above method of preparing the recipient site with a distractive force applied over a period of a few weeks prior to grafting can also be applied to graft augmentation of other parts of the body such as depressed scars, wrinkle lines or the subcutaneous fat atrophy that accompanies aging. The method is also a useful way to augment the survival of fat grafting to the buttocks. The method may also be used for the reconstruction of the breast after mastectomy.

Further features and advantages of the present invention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the present invention, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of the specification, illustrate the embodiments of the present invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates the use of an external breast tissue expander (Brava® Breast Enhancement and Shaping System, Brava, LLC; Coconut Grove, Fla.).;

FIG. 2 illustrates the three dimensional fanning pattern of injection used to distribute the autologous fat grafts in a subject;

FIG. 3 illustrates magnetic resonance imaging results taken before and 3 months following the breast augmentation procedure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a woman's breast;

FIG. 5 illustrates an enlarged cross-sectional view of the subdermal periglandular plane taken from the indicated portion of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 illustrates the beneficial effect of preparation of the recipient tissue by the distractive force (external tissue expansion).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In practicing the method of this invention, a preferred method for applying distractive force such as vacuum pressure to the breast of said subject is by use of a device comprising a dome which fits over at least one breast of the subject, a rim that seals said dome around said breast, and a pump for creating a vacuum around said breast. An external breast tissue expander (Brava® Breast Enhancement and Shaping System, Brava, LLC; Coconut Grove, Fla.) represents one preferred device for applying vacuum pressure to the breast of the subject. Descriptions of various devices suitable for applying vacuum pressure to the breast of a subject are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,500,112, 5,676,634, 5,695,445, and 5,536,233 as well as in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/101,240, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. However, other devices that exert a distractive force on the breast may also be used in the practice of this invention. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,699,176, incorporated herein by reference in its' entirety, discloses other devices that can exert a distractive force on the breast. One such device comprises at least one dome for adhering to a patient's breast, where the dome includes a supporting frame that is inflatable to expand the frame and induce a distractive force in the underlying breast. One skilled in the art would thus understand that the distractive force on the breast may be exerted by either vacuum pressure or by other means in accomplishing certain steps of the method described herein.

Without being limited by theory, and offered only as an observation, the success of the method for breast augmentation by fat grafting disclosed herein may be due to one or more conditions or combinations of conditions induced in the breast by the distractive force created by a vacuum or by other methods. For example, pre-grafting expansion of the breasts by subjecting them to a distractive force before introduction of the fat graft may increase the vascularity of the recipient site and thus result in improved quality of the graft recipient bed thus increasing receptivity and retention (i.e. reduced graft failure). Similarly, pre-treatment of the breast with a distractive force (i.e. pre-grafting expansion of the breast) may provide for more periglandular or interstitial space for greater graft volume injection with less crowding of the injected fat graft droplets. This enlargement of the three dimensional lattice improves the graft to recipient contact interface for better revascularization of the injected fat. Post-graft injection treatment of the breast with an immobilizing device or a distractive force may also hold up the grafts as a stent and promote revascularization or other beneficial processes during the early engraftment period.

In practicing the invention, the distractive force is applied to the breast prior to the initiation of fat grafting. In the examples provided herein, the distractive force is continuously applied for at least 24 hours prior to fat grafting or injection. For about 28 days prior to the period of continuous distractive force application to the breast, an intermittent distractive force is applied to the breast for at least 10 hours per day in the examples. Alternatively, higher distractive forces intermittently applied over shorter periods of time might achieve the same hypervascularity and interstitial space expansion effect. In outlining the time periods of distractive force application used in the examples cited herein, one skilled in the art would clearly understand that minor deviations from these exemplary time periods for application of the distractive force are not expected to significantly impact the results obtained in practicing this invention. It is further contemplated that practitioners may adapt these time periods of distractive force application based on a variety of circumstances pertaining to each particular subject.

The amount of distractive force that is applied to the breast both before and possibly after injection is desirably regulated. When the distractive force is a vacuum, regulation of the vacuum within the dome is important to prevent contusions caused by rupturing capillaries adjacent the surface of the skin. Medical data suggest that these contusions will not occur if vacuum within the dome is maintained at less than about 20-25 mm Hg, at least on a continuous basis. Thus, the vacuum pump is desirably regulated to control the vacuum within the dome to within this limit presuming a protocol involving extended wearing at continuous pressure is followed. In addition, skin ulceration can occur if excessive contact pressures are applied thereto for any extended time period. Medical data suggest that a contact pressure less than 20 mm Hg may be applied indefinitely without such ulceration. However, contusions may occur due to positive contact pressures upon the skin at continuous pressures above this ulceration limit. Alternatively, higher pressures could be intermittently applied for shorter periods of time over a few weeks to achieve the same hypervascularity and expansion effect. The inventor's invention contemplates use not only of one of the several distractive force application methodologies as recited herein but others as well, subject to such further experimentation as would be well within the scope of the teaching and skill of those of ordinary skill in the art. For example, the inventor contemplates that higher vacuum pressures could be applied for shorter periods of time to achieve similar if not the same results.

Nonetheless, it is envisioned that vacuum pressures falling outside of the range of 20-25 mm Hg may also be employed in the practice of this invention. As discussed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/101,240, incorporated herein by reference in it's entirety, approximately 20,000 external breast tissue expander (Brava® Breast Enhancement and Shaping System, Brava, LLC; Coconut Grove, Fla.) devices have been sold worldwide as of the end of the year 2004, with approximately 10,000 of these sales being made in the U.S. alone. As part of these sales, the buyers were provided medical advice through medical professionals and data including their “wear” history was collected from approximately 78% of them. The recommended regimen required the user to wear the external breast tissue expander at least ten hours per day for ten consecutive weeks. Pressures exerted within the bra ranged within 15 to 33 mm Hg as the vacuum pump cycled off and on, with an average of approximately 22 mm Hg. Users were also advised that wearing the external breast tissue expander for longer time periods would result in greater increases in breast size. As a result, it is believed that many users chose to wear the device more than the ten hours per day and more than ten weeks. However, the recommended “wear” protocol was for ten hours per day for ten full weeks. As in any recommended protocol, and especially one extending for a significant time period, adjustments were made upon patient request and upon patient initiated change without advice. For some users, requests were granted to increase the maximum pressure to 35 and even 37 mm Hg. It is thus contemplated that under certain circumstances, certain conditions, or during certain periods of time it may be desirable to increase the amount of distractive force applied beyond the recommended range of 20 to 25 mm Hg in the practice of this invention.

The sample of fat for injection into the breast or breasts may be taken from any suitable region of the subject. Subjects are typically placed under local tumescent anesthesia and sedation for the steps of the procedure involving fat removal and fat injection. For example, the fat samples may be harvested from an abdominal region, a thigh region, a flank region, a gluteal region, or a trochanter of said subject. Fat taken from multiple regions may be injected into a breast or breasts. Removal of fat is achieved by methods that minimize trauma and minimize manipulation of the fat removed from the subject. In this regard, a syringe may be used to remove the fat. Manual removal of the fat with a small syringe fitted with a fine diameter cannula is a preferred method of obtaining the fat sample. One example of a preferred method of obtaining the sample of fat is by aspirating the fat from the subject with a 10 ml syringe fitted with a 14 gauge cannula (i.e. approximately 1-2 mm in diameter). The typically employed suction devices that are used in cosmetic surgery to remove fat (i.e. liposuction) may subject the fat to shear forces or other conditions that are less conducive to successful grafting. However, it is recognized that mechanical devices that remove fat under reduced pressures and/or through fine diameter cannulas may also be used to obtain a fat sample useful in the practice of this invention.

Following removal and prior to injection, the harvested fat is then separated from any fluid such as serum or tumescent fluid that is associated with the fat. Such separation may simply be accomplished by placing the filled collection syringe in an upright position and allowing the fat and fluid to separate into two phases. The fluid phase can then be simply expelled from the bottom of the syringe. Alternative methods of separating fat and fluid such as centrifugation or filtration are also contemplated.

The fat sample is then injected into the breast that was previously subjected to a distractive force. Injection into the breast may be accomplished with a syringe. The syringe may be a 10 ml syringe fitted with a 14 gauge cannula (i.e. approximately 1-2 mm in diameter). Injection may be into either one or both of a deep retroglandular space and/or a subcutaneous plane of the breast. The injections are made in a three dimensional fanning pattern to micro-weave the sample of fat in the breast. FIG. 2 illustrates one arrangement of injection ports that can be used to inject the fat sample in a three dimensional fanning pattern. The injection ports are typically placed at regular intervals around both the base of the breast and around the nipple in a circular pattern. A frontal view of the breast post injection would thus show an inner circle of injection ports around the nipple and an outer circle of injection ports around the base of the breast. The cannula that is used to distribute microdroplets or tiny droplets of fat is then inserted at various depths and angles to deliver a diffuse distribution of fat in the desired regions of the breast. A microdroplet is typically between about 25 ul (microliters) to 250 ul in volume. While it is anticipated that tiny droplets are desired, it is only known at present that insertion of large globules of fat need to be avoided. However, injections are not made into a breast parenchyma region or a breast gland region. The preferred method of injecting the fat sample is to use multiple injection ports to distribute microdroplets of the fat sample throughout the deep retroglandular space and/or a subcutaneous plane of the breast while avoiding the breast parenchyma or breast gland region. Avoidance of injection into the breast parenchyma or breast gland region may reduce the incidence graft failure and necrosis. In describing one illustrative pattern of injection ports, it is clearly understood that any other pattern of injection ports that permits a diffuse distribution of the fat graft to the desired regions can be used in the practice of this invention. For example, a grid pattern of injection ports or the use of curved injection cannulas through a more limited number of injection ports (i.e. 1 or 2 sites only) may also be used.

Following injection of the fat into the breasts, a distractive force might be again applied to the breast or breasts. A preferred method for applying distractive force such as vacuum pressure to the breast of said subject is by use of a device comprising a dome which fits over at least one breast of the subject, a rim that seals said dome around said breast, and a pump for creating a vacuum around said breast.

In practicing the invention, the distractive force is possibly applied following the fat grafting or injection. In the examples provided herein, the distractive force is first applied about 12 to 18 hours after completion of fat injection. During the 48 hour period following completion of fat injection, the distractive force is intermittently applied to the injected breast for at least about 6 to 22 hours per day (i.e. 24 hour period) or for as long as possible. After the 48 hour period following completion of fat injection, the distractive force is intermittently applied to the injected breast for at least 10 hours per day for a period of about 2 to 7 days. In outlining the time periods of distractive force application used in the examples cited herein, one skilled in the art would clearly understand that minor deviations from these exemplary time periods for application of the distractive force are not expected to significantly impact the results obtained in practicing this invention. It is further contemplated that practitioners may adapt these time periods of distractive force application based on a variety of circumstances pertaining to each particular subject.

This method may be applied when the subject is a human or, more particularly, a female human. This method may also be employed for other medical or cosmetic needs or desires such as for example in the course of augmenting the breasts of a human undergoing a sexual reversal procedure wherein the breasts of a male human are first augmented by hormonal stimulation and/or surgical alteration to resemble the breasts of a female human. Furthermore, this method might also offer an alternative to the reconstruction of the breast mound after mastectomy. The current method of breast reconstruction consists of surgically inserting tissue expanders consisting of silicone bags and gradually inflating them with injectable saline over a period of weeks to expand and restore the skin envelope of the breast. The inflated expander creates a tissue void which needs to be replaced by an implant in a subsequent surgical procedure. In the proposed alternate application, external expansion can be used to generate the envelope and the recipient matrix space which will be gradually filled with liposuctioned fat grafts. The external expansion will also help generates the new blood vessels that can revascularize the grafts. The grafting may be done in one or multiple sessions over a period of weeks to months. This method will gradually transfer fat from other parts of the body and ensure the survival of that tissue to restore the breast mound.

In practicing this invention, the subject is advised to maintain their body weight. When the subject is of the female gender, the subject is further advised to take measures to avoid pregnancy during the procedure.

The degree of breast augmentation obtained by performing this procedure may be assessed by any number of methods. For example, breast augmentation volume may be derived from the 3D (3 dimensional) volumetric reconstruction of the MRI scans taken prior to and following the procedure or method. Typically, a baseline MRI to determine an initial pre-procedure volume is taken prior to initiating the first step of the method (i.e. before applying a distractive force to the un-injected breast). Additional MRI is performed at 3 months and 6 months post injection. A comparison of the breast volumes at 6 months relative to those at 3 months post injection permits an assessment of graft survival. Average augmentation volumes at 6 months post-procedure may be about 170 ml per breast and may range from about 90 ml to 220 ml. In some instances, the degree of breast augmentation attained may be limited by the amount of autologous fat that can be harvested from the subject.

In view of the limits to breast augmentation potentially imposed in certain instances by the amount of autologous fat that can be harvested from a subject, it is also contemplated that the fat sample can be obtained by methods other than direct removal and immediate reinjection into the subject. For example, the fat sample may be obtained by removing fat from the subject; propagating this removed fat outside of the subject, and collecting the fat sample that was expanded through propagation. Propagation in this context may be in an in vitro culture system specifically adapted to growth and expansion of fat. Alternatively, a sample of fat may be obtained by removing a living cell or living cells from the subject, propagating the cell or cells outside of the subject under conditions where the cell or cells will form a sample of fat; and collecting the sample of fat thus formed. In the context of a living cell or cell removed from the host, propagation of the cell or cells may be in an in vitro culture system that promotes the differentiation of a non-fat cell or fat cell progenitor cell into a fat cell. The non-fat cell may be a stem cell. One skilled in the art will recognize that a fat cell or fat cell progenitor may also be referred to as an adipose cell or adipose cell progenitor. Under these conditions the non-fat cell or fat cell progenitor cells may expand by cell division prior to becoming a fat cell. In the context of a living cell or cell removed from the host, propagation of the cell or cells may be in an in vitro culture system that promotes the expansion of a fully differentiated fat or adipose cell. In this case, expansion of the fully differentiated cell may occur by accumulation of fat within the cell rather than by cell division. Finally, it is contemplated that the living cell or cells removed from the host under conditions where some combination of cell division and cell expansion results in the formation of a fat sample suitable for reinjection into the subject. Various methods and devices suitable for propagating cells outside of a source organism that may include a subject or another human are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,238,908, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Also contemplated are methods of obtaining the sample of fat from sources other than the subject. For example, the source of the sample of fat may be obtained from another human, a human that is genetically related to the subject, or a human that is a twin of the subject. Alternatively, the sample of fat may be obtained from a source that is a stem cell or cells derived from source other than the subject. The stem cell or cells may be propagated outside of the subject under conditions where said stem cell or cells form a sample of fat as described in the foregoing discussion of conditions used to obtain fat samples from a cell or cells derived from the subject.

It is further recognized that the entire procedure that comprises the steps of applying a distractive force to at least one breast of a subject, removing a sample of fat from the subject; injecting at least a portion of said sample of fat taken from the subject into said breast that was subjected to a vacuum, and then applying a distractive force to the breast injected with the subject's fat can be repeated on one or more breasts of a subject. Repeating the procedure may be desirable in instances where greater degrees of breast augmentation are sought.

EXAMPLE

The following example of the invention is provided to illustrate the methods of this invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications of the methods described herein may be made without departing from the gist of the invention.

Example One

After Institutional Review Board approval and informed consent of the subjects, 22 women underwent 25 fat grafting procedures on 48 breasts. This was achieved by performing one unilateral post cancer reconstruction with two grafting procedures, 19 bilateral primary breast augmentations with one grafting procedure and two bilateral primary breast augmentations with two grafting procedures. Following a baseline MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) of the breast, an external breast tissue expander (Brava® Breast Enhancement and Shaping System, Brava, LLC; Coconut Grove, Fla.) was worn 10 hours per day for four weeks by the subjects. FIG. 1 shows a subject wearing an external breast tissue expander (Brava® Breast Enhancement and Shaping System, Brava, LLC; Coconut Grove, Fla.). For the 24 hour period immediately preceding the procedure, the subjects were asked to continuously use the external breast tissue expander and to come to the procedure still wearing the expander. This last pre-procedure step induces a marked temporary expansion of the subcutaneous plane creating more recipient space for the grafts. Under local tumescent anesthesia and sedation, using 14G (gauge; 1-2 mm diameter) cannulas on 10 ml syringes, between 90 to 280 ml of fat per side was aspirated from the thighs, the flanks and the trochanters. The graft amount was limited by the ease of harvesting. The fat was separated from the serum and the tumescent fluid by simply decanting for a few minutes on a rack. It was then re-injected into the ipsilateral breast through a multitude of needle puncture sites in a three dimensional fanning pattern, micro-weaving the grafts using 10 ml syringes and a 14G (gauge; 1-2 mm diameter) re-injection cannulas. The three dimensional fanning pattern of injection is shown in FIG. 2. In 14 procedures, the injection was limited to the subcutaneous plane and to the deep retroglandular space with strict avoidance of the breast parenchyma. In the remaining 11 procedures, some of the grafts were deliberately placed intraglandular. Twelve hours post procedure, the subjects were asked to place the external breast tissue expander on and to keep wearing it as much as possible for the next few days to hold up the grafts as a stent during the revascularization and early engraftment period. At three months post-procedure, a second MRI was obtained, and at 6 months post-procedure, a third MRI and a mammogram were obtained. Breast augmentation volume was derived from the 3D volumetric reconstruction of the MRI scans. FIG. 3 shows a comparison of the pre-procedure and 3 month post-procedure MRI scans of a subject.

Except for some temporary bruising and superficial skin blisters that healed uneventfully, there were no significant complications and all women returned to their normal activities within 3 to 4 days post-procedure. The patients were all pleased with the enlargement and improved appearance of their breasts and liposuctioned donor site. There were no palpable breast masses or nodules. The breast volume increase retained at 3 months remained constant at 6 months indicating permanent graft survival (3- vs. 6-month, p>0.2; paired t-test). The average augmentation volume at 6 months was 170 ml per breast and ranged from 90 ml to 220 ml. Graft survival averaged 90% and ranged from 100% to 70%. Though the numbers did not achieve statistical significance, graft survival was lower in the group where some of the grafts were injected intraglandular. More importantly, there was no fat necrosis in the group with strict periglandular grafting compared to the isolated intra-parenchymal foci of fat necrosis in the breasts that also received intraglandular grafts (0/14 vs. 5/11; p=0.0087, Fisher Exact test).

The inventor has some recent experimental animal (rat) data which demonstrates that the application of a distractive force over a period as short as two weeks is very angiogenic. By placing vacuum domes on the back of rats and applying vacuum over a period of two weeks, the inventor observed the formation of a very marked vascular and capillary network inside the domes that had vacuum applied. This observed intense neovascular response with the generation of a large new vascular network creates an ideal condition for successful graft take and survival. This angiogenic or neovascularization effect of pre-grafting expansion is one of the main advantages of this technique.

Yet another advantage of pre-grafting expansion is that it opens up the recipient space to allow more grafts placement with less crowding. It is important to avoid grafting in the breast parenchymal glandular tissue itself and the inventor has shown from his experimental work that the best recipient site is the subdermal periglandular plane. (In the cases where some grafts were deliberately placed in the glandular tissue, a lower overall percentage graft take and more fat necrosis was found to occur). Pre-expansion enlarges that preferred recipient plane to allow for more grafts there. It is well recognized by experts in the art of plastic surgery and grafting that improving the surface contact area interface between the graft and the recipient bed improves graft take and survival. The best graft survival is thought to occur when very small pieces (microdroplets) of fat are completely surrounded by a well vascularized recipient bed. These droplets should be separated from each other by recipient tissue and any crowding or graft to graft contact is thought to be detrimental. Hence the great beneficial effect of this pre-grafting expansion. The inventor generates the three dimensional network lattice and space to disperse more grafts with less crowding. The tissue may be likened to a sponge, and expansion enlarges that sponge allowing it to absorb many more “microdroplets” with better dispersion and less crowding. See FIGS. 4-6.

In summary, the inventor believes that he has proven at least two major beneficial effects of pre-grafting expansion: 1—generation of new blood vessels or angiogenesis, which is well known to improve graft take, and 2—generation of additional recipient space and three dimensional framework which makes room for more grafts to have better dispersion and less crowding, factors that optimize the crucial graft-to-recipient interface.

In view of the foregoing, it will be seen that the several advantages of the various aspects of the invention are achieved and attained.

The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

As various modifications could be made in the constructions and methods herein described and illustrated without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative rather than limiting. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims appended hereto and their equivalents. 

1) A method for augmenting a soft tissue site of a subject, comprising the steps of: a) applying a distractive force to said soft tissue site; b) obtaining a sample of fat; and c) injecting at least a portion of said sample of fat from step (b) into said soft tissue site that was subjected to a distractive force; thereby augmenting the soft tissue site of said subject. 2) The method of claim 1, wherein the distractive force is continuously applied in step (a) for at least 24 hours prior to performing step (c). 3) The method of claim 2, wherein the distractive force is intermittently applied in step (a) for at least 10 hours per day for about 28 days prior to performing step (c). 4) The method of claim 1, wherein the distractive force of step (a) is a vacuum. 5) The method of claim 4, wherein said soft tissue site is at least one human breast and said vacuum is applied in step (a) with a device comprising a dome which fits over said at least one breast, a rim that seals said dome around said breast, and a pump for creating a vacuum within said dome. 6) The method of claim 5, wherein said rim has a sticky surface adapted to adhere to the patient's skin to thereby create and hold a pressure seal between said dome and said patient. 7) The method of claim 5, wherein said pump is a manual pump. 8) The method of claim 5, wherein said pump further comprises an independent power source and a pressure sensor. 9) The method of claim 8, wherein said pump is continuously engaged with said device to maintain a constant vacuum pressure inside said dome. 10) The method of claim 9, wherein said constant vacuum pressure is maintained between about 20 to 25 mm of Hg. 11) The method of claim 1, wherein steps (a) and (c) are performed contemporaneously on two breasts of a human subject. 12) The method of claim 11, wherein both breasts are subjected to a similar vacuum pressure with a device comprising two domes which fit over said breasts, two rims that seal said domes around said breasts, a pump, and a conduit that places said pump in fluid communication with each of said domes. 13) The method of claim 12, wherein one breast is subjected to a different vacuum pressure than the other breast in step (a) with a device comprising two domes which fit over the breasts of said subject, a rim that seals each of said domes around each of said breasts, and a separate pump for each of said domes. 14) The method of claim 1, wherein said distractive force is applied with a device which mechanically attaches to the soft tissue site and induces a distractive force in the underlying soft tissue site. 15) The method of claim 1, wherein said sample of fat is removed from at least one of an abdominal region, a thigh region, a flank region, a gluteal region, or a trochanter of said subject. 16) The method of claim 1, wherein said sample of fat is removed from said subject with a syringe. 17) The method of claim 16, wherein said syringe is approximately a 10 ml syringe fitted with a 14 gauge cannula. 18) The method of claim 1, further comprising separating said sample of fat from serum and tumescent fluid prior to step (c). 19) The method of claim 18, wherein said sample of fat is separated from serum and tumescent fluid by decanting the fluid from the fat. 20) The method of claim 1, wherein said soft tissue is injected with said sample of fat in step (c) with a syringe. 21) The method of claim 20, wherein said syringe is a 10-50 ml syringe fitted with a 14 gauge cannula (2-3 mm). 22) The method of claim 1, wherein said injections of step (c) are into a subcutaneous plane of a breast. 23) The method of claim 1, wherein said injections of step (c) are into a deep retroglandular space of a breast. 24) The method of claim 1, wherein said injections of step (c) are into both a deep retroglandular space and a subcutaneous plane of a breast. 25) The method of claim 1, wherein said injections of step (c) are made in a three dimensional fanning pattern to micro-weave said sample of fat in a breast. 26) The method of claim 25, wherein said injections of step (c) are made in those regions of a breast not including a breast parenchyma region. 27) The method of claim 1, wherein said injections of step (c) are made by injecting microdroplets of said fat sample throughout a breast. 28) The method of claim 1, wherein said soft tissue comprises at least one breast and further comprising applying a distractive force to said breast after it is injected at about 12 to 18 hours after completion of step (c). 29) The method of claim 28, wherein the distractive force is intermittently applied to said breast for at least about 6 to 22 hours per day for about 2 days after step (c). 30) The method of claim 29, wherein the distractive force is intermittently applied to said breast for at least about 10 hours per day for about 2 to 7 days after step (c). 31) A method of improving the survival of a fat graft into a targeted soft tissue site including applying an external distractive force to said soft tissue site prior to the fat graft. 32) The method of claim 31 wherein the step of applying the external distractive force includes applying a vacuum to said soft tissue site for at least 8 hours prior to grafting. 33) The method of claim 1, wherein said sample of fat is obtained by a method comprising the steps of: a) removing fat from said subject; b) propagating said fat from step (a) outside of the subject; c) and collecting the sample of fat formed in step (b). 34) The method of claim 1, wherein said sample of fat is obtained by a method comprising the steps of: a) removing at least one living cell from said subject; b) propagating said cell or cells from step (a) outside of the subject under conditions where said cell or cells form a sample of fat; c) and collecting the sample of fat formed in step (b). 35) The method of claim 1, wherein said sample of fat is obtained from a source other than said subject. 36) The method of claim 35, wherein said source is a human. 37) The method of claim 36, wherein said human is genetically related to said subject. 38) The method of claim 36, wherein said human is a twin of the subject. 39) The method of claim 1, wherein said source is a stem cell or cells. 40) The method of claim 39, wherein said stem cell or cells are propagated outside of the subject under conditions where said stem cell or cells form a sample of fat. 41) A method of preparing a soft tissue site for receiving a fat graft comprising identifying a portion of soft tissue targeted for receiving a fat graft, and applying a distractive force to said targeted soft tissue site for an extended time period prior to injecting a fat graft into said soft tissue site. 42) The method of claim 41 wherein applying said distractive force comprises applying a vacuum. 43) The method of claim 42 wherein applying said vacuum comprises applying a mechanical force to said soft tissue site. 44) The method of claim 43 wherein applying said distractive force includes applying a vacuum for about 10 hours per day for about four weeks prior to the fat grafting. 45) The method of claim 44 wherein applying said distractive force includes applying the distractive force substantially continuously for the 24 hours next preceding the injection of fat. 46) The method of claim 41 wherein the targeted soft tissue site includes a human breast, and applying a distractive force includes applying a vacuum. 